


your eyes are like starlight now

by babyboylouis



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: 18-Year-Old Louis, Alternate Universe, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Elf Louis, HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!!!!, Louis hates his job, M/M, No Smut, Shopping, Shopping Malls, Single Parent Harry, Twink Louis, i may make a second part with smut if this gets ok reactions?????, idk - Freeform, single dad Harry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-18
Updated: 2015-12-18
Packaged: 2018-05-07 09:06:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5451113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babyboylouis/pseuds/babyboylouis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>“Yeah. Me, Daddy, and Buttons. That’s my puppy. I named him. Sometimes we call him Butt for short,” Olivia told him, looking up at the boy with a full smile, minus her two front teeth. Louis realised that talking to this girl was more fun than talking to Zayn. Zayn was a little shit, though, so that was understandable.<i></i></i>
</p><p>or the one where louis hates his job as an elf at the shopping mall, but hates it a lot less when he meets olivia and her hot daddy</p>
            </blockquote>





	your eyes are like starlight now

**Author's Note:**

> this was made at 2 am in an hour but i don't care because i was feeling like a christmas hoe hoe hoe
> 
> i hope you enjoy this or else you'll be on the naughty list ;~)
> 
> title from "baby it's cold outside" by she & him!! (couldn't resist)
> 
> p.s. don't bully me about the name i absolutely love olivia idc if it is cheesy weezy

Louis has never felt more ridiculous in his entire life.

 

Currently, his feet were clad in the most hideous pair of green slippers, and his beautiful hair was being ruined by an obnoxious hat.

 

He was supposed to be one of Santa’s elves, but he felt more like a fabulously festive idiot.

 

Thank heavens Zayn wasn’t here. Louis’ sure that if he were, pictures of him in this ridiculous costume would be all over Instagram. At least children didn’t laugh at elves. Well, the nicer ones didn’t, anyway.

 

Louis felt a tap on his shoulder and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. If it was another mother complaining about how slow the line was running, Louis was going to personally take his curly-toed slippers and shove them right up her --

 

“Um...excuse me? Mr. Elf?” A small voice said. Louis turned around and saw absolutely no one. Great. Now he was hearing things. He turned back towards the front of the line with an irritated grunt. Another tap was at the back of his thigh.

 

“Mr. Elf?” The shy voice from before repeated. This time, Louis turned and looked down. There was a little girl standing directly behind him, as if she were protecting herself from something. She was looking up at him with huge, wet blue eyes. Her head of tight ringlets was decorated with an assortment of bows and she wore a gorgeous, sparkly dress, likely for her photo with Santa. She was the cutest little thing Louis had seen since he began his shift at ass o’clock in the morning.

 

He bent down so that he was at her height, smiling warmly to let her know he was nothing to be afraid of. Not like she’d be scared of his fake pointy ears and long, striped socks, anyway.

 

“Hello, dove. What can I do for you?” Louis asked. The little girl looked down, a rumpled stuffed monkey hanging from her tiny hand.

 

“I lost Daddy,” She said, voice getting shaky and her bottom lip wobbling dangerously. Louis hated seeing children cry, even if being here all day with loads of them made _him_ cry.

 

Louis wasn’t sure what he was to do about it, though. He couldn’t exactly leave in the middle of his shift to help this kid. And he wouldn’t even know where to begin looking. He stalled, not knowing what else to do, yet not wanting to see the girl cry.

 

“What’s your name, muffin?” He asked her, holding out a hand and gently placing it on her arm. Louis could feel other parents’ eyes on him, but for once he couldn’t care less. This girl came to _him_ for help, stupid elf costume aside. Louis would find her Daddy, that was for damn sure.

 

“M’name’s Oliva. M’only six,” The little girl -- Olivia -- told him, holding up five fingers. Louis didn’t correct her.

 

“Alright, bug. We’ll find Daddy, okay? Can you hold my hand for a bit, until we find him?” He asked, offering out said hand. He really shouldn’t be doing this. He’s going to get fired for not doing his job. But Louis reckons it’s better to be someone’s superhero than a laughable elf. Olivia’s hand grasped his before he could overthink it. And then they were off.

 

It turns out that walking around the shopping mall dressed as a nisse is worse than standing beside Santa’s sleigh dressed like one. People are giving him the nastiest of looks, and really, they can fuck right off. Louis reckons real elves wouldn’t think anything so mean, so he dismisses the thought and grips Olivia’s hand tighter.

 

“Can you tell me where you last saw your Daddy?” He asks, realising only now that he should’ve asked for details long before they walked half the mall. Louis’ calves were already burning. He should really work out.

 

“He was looking for a gift for Mummy, I don’t know,” Olivia says frustratedly. That wasn’t much help at all, but what should Louis expect from a six year old? His sisters didn’t even know how to feed themselves at that age. (Partially Louis’ fault.)

 

“What does he look like, then, love?” The boy asked, looking down at Olivia as they walked. She really was a cutie. He idly wondered if her ‘Daddy’ contributed towards that.

 

“He has my hair! Except his eyes are green. And he has holes in his face. He’s tall, too, like, really tall. And he has writing on his arms!” The girl said, her face lighting up. She must really love her father. Louis would personally punch himself in the nose if he didn’t return Olivia to him soon.

 

However, the six year old’s description of the man wasn’t very good, and Louis was left looking for any tall man at all with minutely curly hair.

 

“What does your Mummy like, then? What store would he be in for her gift?” He asked, slowing their walk. There was no point in hurrying along if their direction was aimless. Louis saw Olivia look down at her stuffed monkey.

 

“I dunno. Mummy doesn’t really talk to us anymore. He's just getting her something to be nice,” She shrugged. Louis understood right away. When he was young, only a wee little love, his father was never around to kick a football back and forth with him, or read him storybooks before bed. It was heartbreaking for Jay, as she tells him now, but looking back on it...Louis never knew him enough to be truly affected by it.

 

“It’s just you and Daddy, then?” He asked curiously. He didn’t mean to be nosy, just. Might as well learn about the little girl he’s been trekking around the mall with.

 

“Yeah. Me, Daddy, and Buttons. That’s my puppy. I named him. Sometimes we call him Butt for short,” Olivia told him, looking up at the boy with a full smile, minus her two front teeth. Louis realised that talking to this girl was more fun than talking to Zayn. Zayn was a little shit, though, so that was understandable. It was kind of pleasant to discuss something other than recipes to make while high on pot.

 

“You’re joking!” Louis said with a smile. Before he could say much else, his arm was practically ripped from his socket. He watched in horror as Olivia darted across the mall. And to think they were pals.

 

“What the elf,” The boy cried, trying to run after the little girl and almost tripping over his slippers in the process. He kept his eyes on the bouncing curls as they flew into Banana Republic. Louis absolutely could not believe he was weaker than a six year old.

 

After flipping and flopping all the way into the store in search for Olivia, the elf was met with an unanticipated scene.

 

The little girl was hoisted high up into the air, hugged against a man’s chest. A _tall_ man’s chest. A _tall_ , _curly_ _haired_ man’s chest. Olivia found her Daddy. Louis wanted to cry with relief. He was proud of himself, even though he may not have found the girl’s father directly. There was no way the shy girl that came up to Louis thirty minutes ago would have been able to walk the entirety of the mall without getting trampled like Mufasa in _The Lion King_. Which makes Louis ponder why Olivia was all the way over at Santa’s sleigh in the first place.

 

Before Louis could ponder any longer, though, he heard the girl’s voice, loud and excited.

 

“A real life elf, Daddy! He walked me all the way here! I told him about Mummy and Butts and he held my hand.” Olivia gasped, eyes wide and hands gesturing vividly. Louis felt awkward for watching from so far away, until the father of the girl looked up, as if he had sensed Louis there all along.

He smiled at the elf from across the room, waving and pointing Louis out to Olivia, murmuring something and guiding her towards him. The man had holes in his face. _Dimples_.

 

Time seemed to slow as Louis stood there, arms at his sides and festive hat drooping on the right of his head. Daddy was gorgeous. And he was coming over this way, with his adorable daughter, and Louis looked so bloody _ridiculous_ that he wanted to run off to the fucking North Pole, and --

 

“Hi,” A voice rumbled from before him. It was crazy to hear a sound so deep, seeing as all Louis’ been listening to that morning was screaming children and autotuned Christmas music. It was lovely. “I wanted to thank you for saving my Olivia.”

 

Louis bit his lip and blinked once to snap himself out of whatever trance he was in, vision finally focusing on stunning evergreen eyes and candy-cane red lips. A beautiful man was speaking to him. Right.

 

He waved a hand dismissively, smiling down at the only familiar face in the room; Olivia, who was rocking on her feet and holding her monkey and looking right back at him with another beaming smile. “It was no problem at all. It was lovely to spend time with her. She’s definitely on the nice list, this year,” Louis said, eyes finally flickering up to the girl’s dad again, this time with more confidence.

 

The man chuckled. “That’s good to hear. Better stay that way, young lady,” He said as he leaned down to tickle his daughter’s sides. Olivia bursted with laughter. Louis’ heart bursted with fond. Daddy stood again.

 

“My name’s Harry.” He held out a hand. Louis could feel his own beginning to sweat; whether that was from nerves or the woolly costume he was wearing, he wasn’t sure. It was definitely (not) the latter.

 

Louis subtly swiped his moist hand on his green tights and took Daddy’s -- _Harry’s_ \-- hand in his, shaking firmly. “You have lovely hands.” He blurted out. Fuck. _What the shit, Louis. There is a child, literally, 2 centimetres away._

Before he knew it, though, Olivia was giggling like she had the slightest idea of what Louis said may indicate, and Harry was chuckling, too.

 

“Thank you, love. I like your tights.” He winked smoothly. How was that even possible? Whenever Louis tried to wink, he looked like a porcupine was just smashed against his face. He tried not to get too hot under the collar at the compliment, though. Louis knew what his legs could do to most -- no need to be modest about it. “We’ll see you around, yeah?”

 

And...there was no need to get all affected by that, was there? Harry would be leaving with Olivia soon, and this day would eventually be like any other -- in the past. Just a fun little memory, or anecdote, that Louis could tell Zayn when they got high next time. He had a feeling he’d hate taking this costume off tonight, as much as he despised it usually. He didn’t want Olivia or her ugly stuffed monkey to go. He didn’t want to say goodbye to the sweetest little girl he’s ever met and the hottest father -- Daddy -- he has ever laid eyes on.

 

 _Stop being stubborn, Louis,_ he told himself. That’s all he was doing at this point. Dwelling on something not worth his time. He should really get back to work before Santa fires him and puts him on the naughty list while he was at it (although Louis’ pretty sure he’s been on that list for many, _many_ years now).

 

Before he could even begin to smile sadly and walk away, Olivia was frowning and insistently poking her dad in the leg.

 

“Invite him over for supper, goof,” She stage-whispered, though Louis heard every syllable. He didn’t want to intrude, but the idea of going over Harry’s house, and seeing Harry again, and seeing Olivia, and maybe even meeting Buttons, made him bloody glow.

 

Harry looked up, ready to apologise to Louis for his daughter’s antics, but noticed the boy’s reaction. He melted, idly nodding his head. Who was able to resist a smile like that, in addition to Olivia’s consistent puppy eyes?

 

The older man pulled out a pen from his breast pocket and handed it to Louis to write his number down on his hand. When the younger was finished and pulled back, returning the pen, he gave Harry and Olivia one last smile. “Call me on my elf-phone.” He joked. They both laughed. Harry laughed the loudest.

 

❅❆❅❆❅❆❅❆❅  

  
It turns out Santa is a real bitch, and Louis did end up getting fired just as his little elf ass expected, but he couldn’t be happier. If it weren’t for Olivia, or abandoning Santa’s sleigh that day, he wouldn’t have met Buttons. Or Harry. Or, years later, the ring on his finger.


End file.
